Our Tillamook Forest trip was a wonderful success, and boy, did we luck out with fantastic weather! The Swallows explored how water supports the forest, looked for signs of wildlife (tracks, scat and homes) and collected macro-invertebrates as indicators of water quality.
We found mayfly, stonefly and caddisfly nymphs- all indicators that we were exploring healthy waters!
Back in the classroom, the Swallows are writing and illustrating (watercolors) about their experience during this trip.
I hope to return to this site to support the Swallows in a full stream survey-- water quality (DO, pH and Macro collecting), stream mapping, stream flow and riparian wildlife inventory.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!
The Swallows are near completion of their first film project-- the Sense of Place digital stories. Groups have been working together to lay out their storyboard with captions or narration. Some groups will add music to their final short film. With the goal of presenting at our next all-school meeting ( November 19th), this week, the Swallows will revise and edit their films using a rubric.
Scene 1, Take 2, and Action:
This week we will meet with our Merlin Buddies to continue work on our collaborative film project, "A Drop Around the World." Based on a book, this is the story of a water molecule's journey around the world through the water cycle. The buddies will learn basics of film (process and products) and expressive oral reading to create a film version of this book. This week the buddies will rotate through three stations: film basics, expressive oral reading and "showing, not telling (communicating with gesture and expression)."
Our goal is to present this movie as part of the Level 2 Water Festival in late December. We will of course keep you posted.
In Readers Workshop, the Swallows have been busy creating book recommendations to support responding to reading through evaluation. Inleveled reading groups, the Swallows received Readers Theater scripts, chose parts and set to reading to practice fluent and expressive reading. The groups will present their Readers' Theater for an audience of their classmates.
IT'S RAINING.... IT'S POURING
It is raining in our storyline! With rain pouring down over our campers, what else could we do but be inspired to explore it. We will work together to create a thunderstorm symphony, first with our bare hands and then through student created rain sticks. We will revisit where rain comes from and go on a rain walk to collect and measure accumulation.
ODDS AND ENDS (But no less important)...
Just a reminder: No school this Thursday, November 11 Veteran's Day)
Please help your Swallow to bring their Home Communication Bag back to school each day. New TFK and comprehension sheets went home today. The sheets should come back no later than Friday and the TFK are for the Swallows to keep.
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